Xbox Holiday Gift Guide 2018

This is our fourth year of putting together a Xbox Gift guide for the holiday season. I've worked on compiling what I believe is a solid list of the bundles that will be available, which are the best and a wide range of games along with some other things that might be great for that gamer in your life.

Perhaps you're just looking to treat yourself over the holidays, that is of course entirely up to you. This guide is mostly focused on US/CAD options and that's about it for my Xbox Holiday Gift Guide 2018 opening. If you're buying anything, we have Microsoft/Xbox Store affiliate links added that automatically switch to your region.

Xbox One Bundles
The Xbox One has never been cheaper or offered as great of deals as it does today. You get the option of a super affordable base model that's greatly engineered or the incredibly powerful Xbox One X. If you have the money and want some true 4k gaming, the Xbox One X is well worth it. If you're not too big on it and just want a wide range of games ranging from Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One then the Xbox One S is a solid selection. It's also worth mentioning that some of these backwards compatible titles are enhanced on the premium console with better visuals than they ever had.

Why: Like mentioned, this is the perfect console for 4k gaming bringing the most powerful console ever into the hands of gamers. Hundreds of past titles are improved and it kicks off a new era of high resolution HDR based gaming.

Why: For the younger ones or well anyone that loves Minecraft this console is beautiful. It comes with a large hard drive and a full starter kit for the game. It also comes with all you need to get jumping on the latest version of Minecraft which supports cross-play across multiple platforms/devices.

There are other bundles available. I would suggest the Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox One X bundle if you want a game with your premium console. For the Xbox One S bundles the Forza Horizon 4 or Battlefield V options are excellent.

Xbox One Games

In this part of the guide we've broken it down into general games for the regular gamers, family friendly titles and free to play games to check out once on Xbox Live! I'll also mention Xbox Play Anywhere titles work on both Xbox One and Windows 10 when bought digitally.

Best Holiday General GamesGears of War 4 (Xbox Play Anywhere) - Xbox Store Page
-The exciting and grand return of the franchise as you take on the role of Marcus Fenix's son to explore a now hostile world against new threats. There's a full campaign, blistering 60fps multiplayer and a cooperative Horde mode to play. It's also Xbox One X Enhanced for 4k HDR gameplay. Forza Horizon 4 (Xbox Play Anywhere) - Xbox Store Page
-The Forza Horizon series is always a blast and this lovely British setting is just stunning. It's an open world, cooperative driving title where you explore all of the seasons in a dynamic world. Xbox One X enhancement included. Sea of Thieves (Xbox Play Anywhere) - Xbox Store Page
-This is a cooperative blast where you team up with friends or random people to sail! Become the pirates you've always wanted to be in this epic large scale online world. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - Xbox Store Page
-The hot battle royale title arrived first on Xbox, taking the console by storm with millions of players and updates over time towards the big release in September from the Xbox Game Preview. Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Xbox Store Page
-A few years old at this point, but still one of the best entry titles for those wanting to get into Xbox bringing Halo 1-4 in one glorious package along with all the multiplayer and cooperative play you could want. It is now Xbox One X enhanced and fully updated as of late 2018. Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Xbox Store Page
-The Creed series expands with this close tie-in to Origins where you're stuck in the middle of two conflicting sides. Pick where you belong and fight while uncovering a dark secret. Red Dead Redemption 2 - Xbox Store Page
-Xbox One X enhanced with a native 4k resolution this is one remarkable world that presents the ultimate Western adventure. Play by yourself through an intense campaign or ride with others in multiple online modes.Shadow of the Tomb Raider - Xbox Store Page
-The final chapter in Lara Croft's origin trilogy sends her to the jungle for an epic adventure where her very skills are pushed to the absolute limit with a villain leads Trinity. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - Xbox Store Page
-Yet again, Xbox One X enhanced this release brings the highly entertaining Blackout which is the franchise's take on the battle royale genre. There are zombies too and of course traditional multiplayer. Star Wars Battlefront II - Xbox Store Page
-Xbox One X enhanced, this game is a gorgeous display of the Star Wars universe across a wide selection of planets from all three eras. The situation is great here for the game with a fresh Clone Wars update.
Best Holiday Family GamesLEGO DC Super-Villains - Xbox Store Page
-LEGO games are always a good choice, the latest release has you playing as the villains against a fake Justice League. Minecraft - Xbox Store Page
-It's a must have for the family audience since it's essentially a staple at this point. It's the ultimate sandbox for creativity and interactions with others as you quest these beautiful randomly generated worlds together. One of the biggest games of all time and a huge draw for all ages. With this new Better Together version players on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Pocket Edition and Windows 10 can all play with each other!Slime Rancher - Xbox Store Page
-This is an adorable and addictive farming type game. You run a space farm sucking slimes and feeding them food in order to get items to sell for money. This allows farm expansion, there's a whole story it as well. It's very appropriate for all ages as I'm sure anyone can get charmed by the smiling slimes.
Free to Play Games
This is easier if I just list a selection of them, they're all free so it doesn't hurt to check out any of them. Will also link our Top 10 Free to Play Xbox One games part 2 below.

Other Information
You will also need a Xbox Live subscription in order to play online, get free games and benefits of the membership. These run for about $60 or $70 a year though there are deals all the time and most consoles come with trials to check it out. It's well worth the money for the experiences. You also get four free games a month, two for Xbox One and two Backwards Compatible Xbox 360 titles.

I also suggest checking out the Astro or Turtle Beach line of headsets, they some affordable models if you're looking at getting a more professional and much better quality device.

EA Access
This is definitely one of the best deals available on Xbox One, for $30 a year you get dozens of EA titles to download and play. These include big titles on Xbox One and Backwards Compatible Xbox 360 games. This includes games such as Mass Effect, Titanfall, Sports games and more!

Xbox Game Pass
Think of this like Netflix for games, it's got well over 100 games and costs $9.99 a month. There are many opportunities to trial it as well. It's got a nice selection of popular Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. This has continued to grow and as first party titles release they're automatically added. This includes games like Halo Infinite, Gears of War 5, Crackdown 3 or Forza.

The Xbox One has continued to build its library and the growing Xbox Backwards Compatibility that now has around 500 Xbox 360 titles and some Original Xbox titles as well. If you own any of these old games you can either download them digitally or just place the disc in to play it.